At 290 pounds, Nick Glover said he’s lost about 25 pounds from his freshman year, (Wesley sports information)

Nick Glover

DOVER — Nick Glover didn’t know how far he had to run.

The big Wesley College defensive tackle just knew he really wanted to get to the Delaware Valley quarterback.

“When I really want something,” said Glover, “I’m going to go get it.”

What impressed Wolverines coach Mike Drass, though, is that Glover had to sprint about 20 yards to get the sack in Wesley’s season opener on Aug. 31.

And that’s not easy to do when you stand 6-foot-1, 290 pounds.

“You should see him,” said Drass. “He ran from the hash to the sideline — and he was moving.”

A Dover High grad, Glover would like to think the sack was a reward for all the hard work he put in during the off-season.

The junior also hopes his improved conditioning will help him make even more plays as Wesley (0-1) gets ready to travel to the College of New Jersey (0-1 NJAC, 0-2 overall) for its New Jersey Athletic Conference opener on Saturday at noon.

At 290, Glover said he’s lost about 25 pounds from his freshman year, The Hartly native said he just feels stronger and faster.

“I just feel so much better,” he said. “I feel actually healthier. Freshman year to now, it’s been a big jump. I’m proud of myself and thankful for staying here over the summer and working out, getting ready for this season.

“It was just me wanting to be out there more, me wanting to make more plays, help my team.”

Steve Yorkman

The irony is that Glover’s fellow starting defensive tackle, Steve Yorkman, wishes he were a little bigger.

At 5-foot-11, 255 pounds, the senior is on the small side for a college lineman. But Yorkman makes up for it by being the strongest player on the squad.

“You’ve just got to bring an attitude,” he said. “When I step out on the field, it’s a different story. The weight doesn’t mean anything. It’s me against you.

“Honestly, I like being the smaller guy. I like when people underestimate me. It’s a different story once they get to play against me.”

“All the respect in the world to DelVal, they beat us,” said Drass. “But no one moved Yorkman or Glover off the football.”

Glover and Yorkman like to think of themselves as not only good friends, but also competition.

Nick Glover, above, said part of his motivation for working harder in the offseason was seeing fellow DT Steve Yorkman’s work ethic. (Wesley sports information)

They believe that friendly competition only makes them better.

A year ago, Yorkman was fifth on the team in tackles with 42 while Glover added 23 at a position that’s more about occupying blockers than putting up stats.

“Every time I see him make a play, I want to make a play,” said Yorkman, “It’s just a friendly competition but it brings the best out of both of us.

“I know that he has my back and I have his back. So it’s us against everybody.”

Glover said part of his motivation for working harder in the offseason was seeing Yorkman’s work ethic.

“It’s an honor,” Glover said about playing alongside Yorkman. “It’s always going to be competitive. But that’s my brother. We butt heads and all that but I know he’ll have my back and I’ll have his.

“When I first met Steve, I was like, ‘Hmm, he’s really small.’ But when he comes off that ball and hits the guard, it’s amazing. You don’t expect it from someone his size. I’m really glad to have him as my teammate.”

Back to work

By the time they play on Saturday, the Wolverines will have gone 16 days between their first and second game.

But Drass said that’s turned out to be a good thing.

First of all, Wesley lost starting quarterback Nick Falkenberg to a lacerated spleen suffered against the Aggies. So the open date gave the Wolverines more time to work with new starter Khaaliq Burroughs as well as his backups.

Wesley also spent extra time with its offensive line, which has three new starters this season.

Because of the Wolverines’ depth on their defensive front, sophomore tackle Eric Hunter has been moved to offense, where he’s expected to see playing time.

“Before the (DelVal) game I was dreading it, because you have so much free time on your hands,” said Drass. “You have two weekends where, what are you doing with your kids?

“Last week we were able to — I wouldn’t say scrimmage — but go three-quarters live against each other and put the quarterbacks in stressful situations. We did that each night for 20 minutes.”

Of course, two weeks seems even longer after a loss.

Drass said the Wolverines had mostly themselves to blame for a lot of the biggest issues, most notably turnovers and penalties.

“The thing that I was most disappointed with — and I’ve addressed with the team — was our composure and our maturity,” he said.

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